2. Knowledge Claims By now, after many years of full-time education and life- experience, you can, perhaps, claim to know many things. You should be able to see what good reasons you might have for what you say that you claim to know and choose to believe. These may include: TaK – Knowledge Claims logic perception intuition Self-awareness memory consensus authority faith

3. TaK – Knowledge Claims Knowledge Claims Here is a list of things that I might claim to know, and another list of reasons I might give to support these claims. Match the reasons to the claims. Claims 1. (I know that) the sky is blue 2. (I know that) 2 + 2 = 4 3. (I know that) it is wrong to murder a person 4. (I know that) I have a fear of spiders 5. (I know that) I went out for a run yesterday 6. (I know that) what the doctor said is true 7. (I know that) women are more emotional than men 8. I know exactly what God wants of me 9. (I know that) I am going to heaven 10. (I know that) the fjord is more beautiful than a rubbish tip 11. (I know that) I love my brother Justification Value judgement Faith Memory Authority Intuition Revelation Sense perception Logic Self-awareness Common knowledge Instinct

6. Knowledge Claims 1. Your friend has told you that a vending machine has just been installed in the Kantina. Do you believe her or not? Why or why not? Do you ask questions to evaluate the claim? 2. Your friend has just told you that the math test was difficult. Do you believe her or not? Why or why not? 3. Your friend, obviously upset, has told you that a flying saucer has landed behind near Sweden House … and 15 little green men stepped out! Do you believe her or not? Why or why not? 4. Your chemistry teacher tells you that one mole of any substance contains 6.02 x 10 molecules. Do you believe her or not? Why or why not? 5. Your Math teacher has just told you that Math is the most fascinating subject in the world. Do you believe him or not? Why or why not? TaK – Knowledge Claims & Knowledge Issues

7. Knowledge Issue What is a Knowledge Issue? Questions/Issues that help us to obtain knowledge Issues which hinder our ability to obtain knowledge Wherever there is a Knowledge Claim, there are Knowledge Issues TaK – Knowledge Claims

8. Broad, ‘panoramic’ questions which may help us to obtain knowledge … TaK – Knowledge Claims What? Who? How? Why? When? Where?

9. A partial list of factors which may help or *hinder our ability to obtain the truth….. Age Ethnicity Education Gender Nationality Prejudice Experience Beliefs Emotions Assumptions TaK – Knowledge Claims *hinder: to prevent, cause delay, get in the way

10. Good Judgement Always sceptical Easily convinced TaK – Knowledge Claims

11. You heard on the news that there are now 8 planets in the solar system, not nine as you were taught when younger, and as your parents and grandparents learned in school. Members of the International Astronomical Union voted to remove Pluto's planetary status.

12. In the voting for one of the offices in the newly-elected Student Council it was noted that there was a dead-heat - 35 votes each.

13. When should we discard explanations that are intuitively appealing? ToK Essay title May 2012

17. TaK – Knowledge Claims What is a Knowledge Claim? If prefaced with “I think that….”, it is a personal opinion; If prefaced with “I believe that…”, it is a personally held belief If prefaced with an explicit “I know that….”; or an implied confidence in the truth of the statement, then it is a Knowledge Claim. “I know that….”, “The truth is that….”, “The earth is flat”, “You cannot trust your senses”, “Math is more important than the Arts”, “There is life after death” etc.

18. TaK – Knowledge Claims

19. Questions which help…. What? Who? Where? When? Why? How? TaK – Knowledge Claims

20. Factors which hinder? Age Prejudice Education Opinion Belief Assumptions TaK – Knowledge Claims & Knowledge Issues

21. 1. You always follow the Tour de France bicycle race, marvelling at the cyclists who face this test of speed, strength, nerve and endurance. The winner in 2010 tested positively for doping.